A Deadly Fungus and Questions at a Hospital
By IAN URBINA and SHERI FINKAPRIL 28, 2014
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Those questions take on greater urgency, experts say, because deadly fungal infections, while still rare, appear to be on the rise nationwide.
That may be because of changes in the environment and a larger pool of vulnerable people with suppressed immune systems because patients are living longer with serious illnesses.
An estimated 75,000 patients with infections picked up in health care facilities die in hospitals each year, according to figures released last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The outbreak may have spread unchecked, at least in part, because of lapses in the hospital?s infection controls and sloppy handling of contaminated linens, according to a review of emails, patient records, legal testimony from hospital and laundry staff, and interviews with doctors, lawyers, federal health officials, hospital administrators and patients? families.,,
